Article Medically Reviewed By:
Kristina (Day) Spellman, RD, LD
Research Dietitian Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Boston, MA
Overview
What Is It?
Good nutrition means eating a balanced diet. Poor nutrition is just the opposite, and it can lead to a myriad of health problems.
It's a cliché, to be sure, but a balanced diet is the key to good nutrition and good health. Following that diet, however, isn't always that easy. One challenge is that women often feel too busy to eat healthfully, and it's often easier to pick up fast food than to prepare a healthy meal at home. But fast food is usually high in fat and calories and low in other nutrients, which can seriously affect your health. At the other extreme, a multimillion dollar industry is focused on telling women that being fit means being thin and that dieting is part of good nutrition.
Between our busy lives and the messages we hear, it's no wonder that many women suffer from poor nutrition or are confused about nutrition messages.
Good nutrition means eating a balanced diet. Poor nutrition is just the opposite, and it can lead to a myriad of health problems. It's important to learn how to eat right, which means including the right amounts of the right kinds of food.
In theory, nutritious eating isn't that difficult. It comes down to basics you probably already know. Eat a varied diet that includes plenty of 100 percent whole-grain products, vegetables and fruits, and reduce your intake of saturated and trans fats, sugars and salt.
Getting enough water also is important. Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily—more if you exercise frequently or are exposed to extremes of heat and cold. And eat regularly. If you skip breakfast and eat lunch on the run, you will be ravenous in the afternoon. Studies suggest that skipping breakfast can backfire and actually increase eating later in the day, contributing to weight gain. Some experts advise planning healthy snacks like fruit and yogurt throughout the day to stave off the munchies.
To help you learn how to eat healthfully, start with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) dietary guidelines system, which you can find at http://www.mypyramid.gov . The MyPyramid system, which looks somewhat like the familiar food pyramid of old, offers guidance based on individual needs and replaces "serving" recommendations with actual amounts of food. It also emphasizes the importance of balancing nutritious (and tasty!) food choices from all food groups every day with daily physical activity.
The interactive MyPyramid system lets you see specific daily food amount recommendations based on your level of daily moderate to vigorous activity (such as brisk walking or yard work). For instance:
- A 45-year-old woman who gets less than 30 minutes of daily physical activity in addition to her normal routine should consume six ounce of grains; two and a half cups of vegetables; one and a half cups of fruit; three cups...
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